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See Your ReflectionWed, 25 Oct 2017 08:25:21 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.8.5Successful Garden Fountains and Waterfalls Need a Good Water Pumphttps://www.theworldofmirrors.com/archives/13
https://www.theworldofmirrors.com/archives/13#respondWed, 25 Oct 2017 08:20:48 +0000https://www.theworldofmirrors.com/?p=13The sparkling water of an ornamental fountain or the murmur of a waterfall can bring magic to a garden, but the success of garden water features involving moving water depends ultimately on the pump. A suitable water pump can also help to keep an ordinary pool or pond clear and healthy for fish ponds and aquatic plants.

Choosing a suitable pump from the bewildering selection available is, therefore, most important. Here are some of the things to consider.

Pond Pump Applications

Submersible pond pumps may be used to operate garden fountains, streams or waterfalls, to filter garden ponds, to power free standing patio water features, or for self-contained indoor water ornaments.

Pump Capacity

This may be expressed as a measure of water flow (litres or gallons per hour), and/or “head”, the maximum height to which the pump will raise water.

For fountains, the head is the more significant measure, as it tells you how high the pump will throw water above the surface of the pond.

For a small ornamental fountain, a pump like Hozelock’s Cascade 450 (450 litres per hour) or Cascade 700, is quite sufficient to give a jet of water up to 60-75cm.

When building waterfalls, a much larger flow is needed. This will vary according to the height of the waterfall, the width of the channel and the volume of water crossing the fall.

As a guide, a pump like the Blagdon Amphibious P2000 pump (2000 litres per hour) is needed for even a small waterfall. 1500 liters per hour should be considered an absolute minimum, but it’s always better to install a pump with over-capacity and control the flow.

At the other extreme, a pump like the Hozelock Cascade 7000 with a 7000 litres (1310 gals) per hour flow will power a substantial waterfall.

The capacity for pumps intended primarily for filtration will depend on the size of the pool and its use, eg as a fish pond for pond plants, or for plain water.

Power Supply

Most pumps depend on a high voltage mains electricity supply. High voltage electricity near water poses a high risk unless properly installed, and wiring and installation should only be carried out by a competent electrician.

Some manufacturers like Hozelock and Lotus also offer a limited selection of low voltage pond pumps. These are safer for the DIY enthusiast to handle.

There are also an increasing number of solar powered pool pumps. However, these are naturally weather-dependent and only available for small capacity pumps. Some are entirely self-contained, others, like the Oase Nautilus Solar range, must be connected to a separate solar panel.

Filtration

Any pump will help to aerate your pond, but a pump can also keep your pond clean and healthy if combined with filters to remove solid particles, and UV filters to destroy algae.

This used to be a complicated business, requiring separate filters, tubing, and connections installed alongside the pond.

Now several manufacturers produce fairly simple pump/filter kits, and the Hozelock Easyclear range actually combines the pump with solid and UV filters in a single compact unit.

Fittings

Pumps are the vital component in creating many different water features. Most pumps come with a range of fittings for various uses, fountains etc.

For fountains, make sure that the fittings include a fountainhead which produces the effect you want, and that the head is firmly mounted on a tube of suitable length for the depth of your pool.

Installation and Maintenance

All pumps require periodic maintenance. Always consider the need for this when installing your pump.

]]>https://www.theworldofmirrors.com/archives/13/feed0Water is Lifehttps://www.theworldofmirrors.com/archives/6
https://www.theworldofmirrors.com/archives/6#respondWed, 25 Oct 2017 08:17:44 +0000https://www.theworldofmirrors.com/?p=6Water is synonymous with life. In the Gospel according to John (4:7-15), Jesus likens water to life when he asks the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well for a drink.

Two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen (H2O), water is the most abundant substance in the human body, accounting for 60% of the body’s weight. A loss of only 5 to 10 percent results in serious dehydration. A 15 to 20 percent loss can be fatal.

Uses of Water for the Body

Water is essential in almost all important bodily functions. It is needed for digestion, absorption, and transport of nutrients, elimination of wastes, regulation of temperature, the building and rebuilding of all body tissues.

It is the base for blood, and secretions such as tears, saliva, gastric fluids, and fluids lubricating organs and joints.

The Amount of Water Intake

How many times have we heard our parents remind us to drink more water? For an adult, six to eight glasses are needed for vital bodily functions. Enough amount of water should be taken to compensate for the amount excreted.

Thirst decreases with age. Thus the general rule is for the elderly to drink more water. Those who exercise should drink additional water, especially if it’s extremely hot and humid, as exercise dulls the sense of thirst.

Drinking more water than needed allows the kidneys to increase the volume of urine. It has a cleansing effect for the kidneys and the bladder.

Drinking more water than the kidneys can handle makes the cells absorb the excess, which has oxygenating and rejuvenating effects.

The Abundance of Water

Scientists estimate that Earth’s oceans, lakes, rivers, ice-fields and other reservoirs hold some 14 000 million cu km (330 million cu miles) of water. Another 8.4 million cu km (200 000 cu miles) are stored underground, and large amounts are in the form of vapor in the atmosphere.

The hydrologic cycle of water on Earth accounts for rainfall and evaporation. Scientists believe that since the first clouds dropped the first rainfall, Earth’s original water supply has barely changed.

The Safety of Water

Although water always engages in a self-purification process, many factors contribute to the degradation of its purity. Perhaps second only to air, water is a major carrier of contaminants and microbes.

Through the discharge of industrial waste, arsenic seeps into underground water supplies. The International Agency for Research on Cancer points to arsenic in water as a risk factor for skin cancer, and tumors of the bladder, kidney, liver, and lungs.

Long-term exposure to high levels of arsenic in drinking water may also cause arrhythmia, blood vessel damage, decreased red-blood-cell production and skin discolorations.

Another common problem is old pipes. Corrosions from old pipes result in lead contamination. Lead can build in the body over time up to dangerous levels, which can be damaging to organs and blood cells.

Ways to Ensure Water Cleanliness

The most widely-used method of water cleansing is adding chlorine to water. Chlorine kills microbes. But this method is not without its drawbacks.

Chlorine can combine with components of organic matter to form chlorinated disinfection by-products (CDBPs). Long-term exposure to one of the most common by-product, trihalomethanes, is a risk factor for colon and bladder cancer.

Many households have resorted to home filter systems. A counter-top pitcher, or a unit set up under the sink, can cost up to $1,000.00.

The NSF International in Ann Arbor, Michigan works closely with the governments of the United States and Canada. It sets water-filtering standards in many areas, pinpointing specific contaminants of concern, and helping consumers determine if they need a water filtering system.

It assists customers to select a filter system, testing the product, and providing a statement on the packaging that lists the contaminants (specific to an area) that the product is certified to remove.

But these methods do not preclude human conscientiousness in making water safe. In fact, to ensure the continuous supply of pristine water for the next generations, we all have a duty and responsibility to contribute our share in the efforts of making water remain pure.

After all, water has always been life.

]]>https://www.theworldofmirrors.com/archives/6/feed0Severe Water Restrictions – How to Save Water: Drastic Water Saving Tips for Drought-Affected Cities and Countrieshttps://www.theworldofmirrors.com/archives/17
https://www.theworldofmirrors.com/archives/17#respondSun, 11 Jun 2017 08:21:43 +0000https://www.theworldofmirrors.com/?p=17When a long drought sets in, Level 5 water restrictions come into play in places like Brisbane and Toowoomba, Australia, where dam water reserves recently fell to a low of 15%. With the threat of an entire city without water, this is no time for small remedies like making sure there are no dripping taps or turn off the faucet while brushing teeth – this is time for really going without water and making the best use of every precious drop.

Water-Saving Tips for Car Washing

In times of severe water restriction, the home washing of cars is banned. Some commercial car washes recycle the water, and they are the preferred businesses. However, the car owner who doesn’t want to fork out money for a job he or she is quite capable of doing can utilize the few showers of rain.

Even in bad droughts, there are occasional brief falls. If the car owner is in a position to do so, it’s time to streak outside with a bucket of suds and brush and get the worst off while Mother Nature provides the rinse.

Be Water Wise When Showering

Three-minute egg timers are a great idea, particularly for teenagers who sometimes forget how much water goes down the gurgler. All homes should install water saving shower heads as a matter of course. As well, the most wasteful part of showering is that often lengthy wait for the water to run warm enough.

There are now water saving devices that recycle back into the hot water system until the water runs warm, but they are an added expense. The simplest solution is to place a bucket under the shower and collect the good clean cold water for other purposes.

Indeed, if the shower base will allow a large basin, which the bather can stand in, all the shower water can be saved for the garden. The carrying of water buckets is good for the garden and good for the soul. It’s something positive to do for the ecology.

Wasting Water on Toilet (WC) Flushing

The toilet is one of the greatest wasters of household water. Water saved from shower or bathtub can be bucketed into a deep container (for example a 12-gallon capacity metal or plastic garbage bin) placed beside the toilet. After light usage, a dipper-full of water is adequate to clean the toilet. Households who take this step alone report that water bills fall dramatically.

Of course, a large container beside the WC isn’t exactly elegant, but when there is a water crisis happening, something’s got to give.

Ways to Save Water on Gardens

In places where water restrictions are frequent and long, sometimes gardens have to undergo drastic changes. When it becomes a criminal offense to water a lawn or use a soaker hose on plants, perhaps a long-term solution is called for.

Lawns need to be minimised and planted with drought-tolerant species such as common or Bermuda Couch and Kikuyu.

Choose drought-tolerant permanents, even succulents, and drought tolerant shrubs such as Californian native bush poppies and trees such as Rocky Mountain junipers and Scotch Pine.

If some of these measures seem labor intensive, inelegant and unnecessarily drastic, they are nevertheless a fact of life for thousands of people in low rainfall and drought-affected areas already. As climate changes and water resources become over-burdened by increasing population, they may be the norm for the bulk of western civilization.